>>> http://www.pixum.de/members/jasminstroppel/?act=a_view&album=2255753&i_pos=1 &page=1&ktw=034e4cfa1171dc754569ebdc3d9c175d
The original link wrapped in my e-mail, so here's a shorter version: http://tinyurl.com/3buu7h I'm not sure that horse is bent at the poll. The highest point appears about midway of the neck, well behind the poll. He's over bent, and that's not a goal of dressage - that's a fault. Is that a jointed Icelandic curb bit he is using? I see that it has shanks. When I see a horse that's over bent, the first thing I look at is what bit is he using. (There are other reasons too, but that's one of the most common causes of the avoidance action.) That horse is walking too - why would a horse ever need to be over bent at a walk...? That reminds me of what I recently heard Jane Savoie call "posing on the bit" or "going for a frame." >>> But it is much easier for a horse to bent in the pole with the right neck. I think horses can bend at the poll unless they have a major physical problem. I think it's more of a matter of how much the horse the horse can bend there, not IF he can bend. These horses were never intended for dressage. In the first place, they are a gaited breed, and dressage was developed for three-gaited horses. They have historically been a sure-footed, smooth-gaited reliable form of transportation for rugged terrains for simple farmers, horses who could live in harsh conditions without pampering. That's a wonderful history - they are born trail horses, or at least they have been. Dressage, however, is not a part of their history, how they developed/evolved. Doesn't it make sense if you try to breed them into that now that you will lose some (most?) of the traits that made them the great horses they are today? You really can't breed "for" some trait without risking losing others - so best stick with a breed that basically has the traits you want to begin with. If you truly find an Icelandic conformed for dressage, fine, do what you can with that horse, but what does it gain if we get horses who are being forced into frames to do what they weren't born to do? There are plenty of breeds with lots of individuals born for dressage - breeds who would be horrible choices for trail horses. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.7/829 - Release Date: 6/2/2007 5:26 PM
